This invention relates to personal shields for protecting military personnel against projectiles of small caliber or projectile fragments, which shield constitutes or can support as carriage- or carrying system or be integrated with a rucksack or other equipment item.
The protection of military personnel against projectiles fired by small arms, such as handguns, has been considered by the prior art and several devices have been disclosed for this purpose.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,495 discloses a total body protective device which includes a pair of fabric panels made of bullet-proof material, handles on an upper part of the apparel piece for holding the device in front of a person and a window through the top panel piece for observing an assailant, which shield can be stored in rolled-up condition for placement near the door of a person""s residence, or which can be carried outdoor by a pedestrian, similarly to a cane. Such a device, while possibly useful for defense against an assailant in a street, cannot be carried and used by military personnel in the field.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,762,345 discloses an attache case that can be used in the conventional manner for transporting personal effects, but which additionally functions as an armor shield to protect the user from projectiles fired by handguns. At the time of use, an armor assembly is expanded from a compacted nested arrangement, to an expanded configuration that increases the surface area of the protective shield. This shield, too, is not useful for soldiers in the field, as a soldier must carry regular equipment and cannot, additionally, carry an attache case.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,735 discloses an inflatable bullet-proof shield or mattress, which can be carried in portable fashion in a stored condition within a small case having a source of pressurized gas. This device, too, is clearly not adapted for use by military personnel.
DE 4,207,811 discloses a portable protective shield for the protection of persons against shrapnel and bullets, which comprises a bulletproof visor, several openings for action that may be closed with shutters, and several means for carrying it. The means for carrying the shield would interfere with carrying arms or other equipment, and therefore this shield is not adapted for military personnel.
It is seen, therefore, that the prior art does not provide a personal shield that can be carried by military personnel, without interference with other items of equipment that may have to be carried, and can be used as a defense against projectiles of small caliber or projectile fragments.
It is a purpose of this invention to provide a personal protective shield against bullets fired from small arms or shrapnel, or at any rate, small projectiles or fragments of projectiles, which can be carried by military personnel in the same way in which equipment, such as, e.g., a rucksack, is usually carried, and therefore be easily transported from one location to another and quickly used when needed; and additionally can support a rucksack or other container or equipment attached to it.
It is another purpose of this invention to provide such a shield that is comfortable to carry, and has limited dimensions and weight.
It is a still further purpose of this invention to provide such a shield that can offer protection over a surface and along angles that can be changed according to circumstances.
It is a still further purpose of this invention to provide such a shield that can offer particular protection to the head of the user.
It is a still further purpose of the invention to provide such a shield that has a carrying configuration and an operative configuration and can be shifted from one another with great speed and ease.
It is a still further purpose of this invention to provide such a shield that is simple and inexpensive.
Other purposes and advantages of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.
The protective shield according to the invention comprises:
a)xe2x80x94a central panel, preferably having a configuration adapted to fit the back of the user;
b)xe2x80x94at least two lateral panels;
c)xe2x80x94hinged connections between said central panel and said lateral panels;
d)xe2x80x94said protective shield having a configuration (hereinafter, xe2x80x9cthe foldedxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cclosedxe2x80x9d configuration) for carrying it and for attaching to it other equipment as carriage, in which the aforesaid lateral panels are folded over the said central panel, and a configuration (hereinafter, xe2x80x9cthe expandedxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9copenxe2x80x9d configuration) for carrying out is protective function, in which the aforesaid lateral panels are angularly set off from said central panel; and
e)xe2x80x94the central panel and the lateral panels being of bulletproof materials.
The shield is provided with carrier attachments, e.g. straps and buckles, for carrying it on the user""s back, which can be called xe2x80x9cfrontxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cprimaryxe2x80x9d carrier attachments. Preferably, other carrier attachments, e.g. straps and buckles, are provided for removably connecting to the shield a rucksack or other container or item of equipment, when the shield is in the folded configuration. They may be called xe2x80x9csecondaryxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9crearxe2x80x9d carrier attachments. All of said attachments can vary, depending on the particular way in which the shield is used and on the nature of the other items of equipment, if any. They can be easily provided by skilled persons and need not be particularly described.
In a first form of the invention, all the panels are of plate material and the hinged connections between the central panel and the lateral panels have at least two degrees of liberty, so that the lateral panels, in the expanded configuration, may be set at the sides of the central panel in a vertical position, to protect the sides of the user, or may be set at the top of the central panel in a horizontal position, to protect the user""s head.
In a second form of the invention, the central and lateral panels are of plate materials; the lateral panels, in the expanded configuration, are set at the sides of the central panel in a vertical position, to protect the sides of the user; and the shield further comprises a flexible top piece, which is folded, in the closed configuration, vertically against the folded lateral panels, and in the expanded configuration, assumes an inverted-U configuration over and around the head of the user.
The two degrees of liberty of the hinged connections, particularly in said first form invention, are preferably obtained by a novel structure of hinges, which is in itself a part of the invention. Said structure comprises:
1xe2x80x94a corner piece, comprising two pins extending from it at right angles to one another;
2xe2x80x94two plates, for rigid connection to two members to be hinged to one another;
3xe2x80x94for each plate, a knob solid with or rigidly connected to the plate, having a cylindrical seat for one of said pins and having serrations adapted to be engaged by said pin on its end surface proximate to said corner piece; and
4xe2x80x94means for elastically retaining said knob against said corner piece.
The terms xe2x80x9cfrontxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cbackxe2x80x9d of the central panel, or xe2x80x9cin front ofxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cbehindxe2x80x9d, refer the folded configuration of the shield and its configuration when carried on the user""s back.
The central panel is preferably shaped to match the shape of the user""s back, having at all points the appropriate curvature. The lateral panels are at least two or maybe more, and have shapes corresponding to the shape of said central panel. Nevertheless, the panel curvatures, if any, are not too sharp, and reference may be made hereinafter to xe2x80x9cthe planexe2x80x9d of a panel, meaning the plane that most approximates the curved shape of the panel. The central and the lateral panels can also be flat, without any curvature, in which case the expression xe2x80x9cthe plane of the panelxe2x80x9d will have the customary meaning.
The hinged connections provide two degrees of liberty since they permit rotation about at least two, preferably perpendicular, axes. Said axes are preferably, but not exclusively, one a vertical and the other a horizontal axis. The terms xe2x80x9cverticalxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9chorizontalxe2x80x9d, too, refer the folded configuration of the shield and its configuration when carried on the user""s back. As will be seen, in the aforesaid first form of the invention, when the shield is opened to the expanded configuration, the central panel is rotated by 90 degrees, while the lateral panels may assume different orientations. In the aforesaid second form of the invention, it remains on the wearer""s back and the central panel does not change its position.
Preferably, locking means are provided for removably connecting the two lateral panels together, when the shield is in the folded configuration. Said lateral panels, when they are in the folded configuration, are preferably folded over and are in contact with the central panel, and they are located in front of said central panel. Therefore, in this configuration, the user""s back is in contact with the front of the lateral panels in the first form of the invention, while in the second form of the invention it is in contact with the folded top piece. In every case, the central panel is located behind the lateral panels and in contact with the items removably connected to it. To avoid uncomfortable contact of the lateral panels with the user""s back, when they are in the folded configuration, any suitable padding may be provided, as will be better explained hereinafter. The top piece, when present, may carry out this function.
Preferably, the angles made by the lateral panels with the central panel, in plan view, when the shield is in its expanded configuration, which is also the operative or protective configuration, may be right angles or other angles, preferably larger than 90xc2x0.
In the first form of the invention, the lateral panels may be placed at an angle, generally of 90xc2x0, to the central panel, when seen in vertical view, and thus, the lateral panels may be vertical or horizontal or in part vertical and in part horizontal, when the shield is in the open configuration. Therefore, while there may be one or more than one folded configuration, there a plurality of possible expanded configurations.
The carrier attachments for carrying the shield on the user""s back (xe2x80x9cmainxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cfrontxe2x80x9d carrier attachments) are preferably straps, more preferably, adjustable by conventional means by which straps are adjusted, e.g., by means of suitable buckles such as used for tightening safety belts.
Preferably, the central panel is provided with a handle or other means for carrying it by hand, as if it were a bag, instead of on the user""s back.
The central and lateral panels are preferably made of bullet-proof, substantially rigid, plate material. Said plate material may be a solid plate, e.g., of polyethylene, or a composite material of fibers in a plastic matrix. Non-limiting examples of fiber material are polyethylene, aramide, glass, carbon, and ceramics. Non-limiting examples of matrix material are thermosetting resins like epoxy, phenolics, polyesters etc. and thermoplastic resins like polyolefins, polyamides, polyesters, poly-ether-ether-ketone etc. The plates may preferably have a thickness from 3 to 25 mm. Preferably, the protective shield is painted with camouflage patterns.
The preferred dimensions of the protective shield are as follows: for the central panel, a height from 50 to 80 cm, and a width from 30 to 45 cm; for the lateral panels, the same width as the central panel, and a height which may very, in the various embodiments, from that of the central panel to one-half thereof. The terms xe2x80x9cheightxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cwidthxe2x80x9d refer to the folded configuration of the shield and its configuration when carried on the user""s back.